January 11, 2006

Monkey See, Monkey...DUDE!

What it do, Readership!

Thanks for all your kind comments and e-mails. I greatly appreciate your concern. As it turned out, the Lasik surgery didn't go quite as well as planned. Apparently, I have enormously large pupils and freakishly thin corneas, therefore making me an unsuitably poor candidate for Lasik. So in lieu of Lasik, I had what's known as a photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), which is basically an earlier form of laser surgery. Unfortunately, the procedure is a little more painful and recovery can take a bit longer. But I'm slowly getting my vision back and today's the first day that I can even look at a computer screen. I feel like I've been in solitary confinement for the past 5 days and I've missed keeping up with all of you.

As for me, I think it's going to take a few more days before I fully regain my powers of sight. But I will say that one of the great unexpected fringe benefits of undergoing PRK (and having one of your buddies be the operating surgeon) is the generous party favor bag filled with Vicodin. In fact, I don't feel like I just had surgery. I feel like I just left Robert Evan's birthday party with Courtney Love. I just popped two Vics with a healthy glass of Scotch and I'm starting to feel great. A little loopy but still coherent. In fact, the dog and I just had a great conversation about how watching Samuel Alito's confirmation hearing is like watching Adrian Zmed in "The Battle of the Network Stars." You keep waiting for him to screw up but when he doesn't, you start getting the scary feeling that he might actually get through the damn thing!

Anyway, I'll stop babbling now. In passing, I just want to say that this week is not only the holy Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha but it's also National De-Lurking Week (begun by my lovely friend Sheryl.) This is the week where loyal readers, sporadic visitors, virgin commentors and long-time lurkers come out of the woodwork to leave a comment on the blogs that they visit. So, if you're out there, c'mon out and just say hi. Tell me about yourself, where you're from and why you like visting MetroDad. And then, go over to my buddy Dutch's site and help lighten his wallet for a good cause.)

Despite your acerbic wit and sharp sense of humor, you not only clearly come off as a really good guy but also as an incredibly loving and involved father. I enjoy hearing a man's perspective on fatherhood and I think you have a great one. Keep up the great work. I enjoy reading your humorous posts as well as all the thoughtful and sensitive ones about the Peanut.

I come from time to time, as a therapy when I really freak out with canadian parents. As a French mum now in Canada I'm amazed by this parenting culture : don't drink in front of your kids, don't go out, be healthy, don't be rude, mum are mummifying themselves...So your blog feels like some fresh air...

Yes, those vic's do a number on ya...two of my son's had wisdom teeth removed over the holidays...had vic prescribed...they were puffed up like chipmunks, but had no pain! What a comedy that was...:-)>

You, kind sir, are a very funny man with a wicked sense of humor. I read a lot of boring parenting blogs but I always come here for a refreshing change of pace and perspective. For a guy who's a relative newbie, you've got a pretty good mind for parenting. Keep up the great work!

Forgive me Metro for I have been lurking, it has been two days since my last lurk.....I am a new lurker from the great state of North Dakota, you know, the one state you haven't visited. Stumbled across your site by accident one night and have been hooked since.

Why do I read your blog? Because it's funny. In fact, it borders on hilarious at times, and it's those times that I end up laughing insanely at my laptop and my partner starts thinking that my loose screw finally fell out.

Added to that, I love hearing about how a man - a bloke even (that's a compliment of the highest order, you know) - becomes a daddy. It's an amazing journey and we're lucky that you share it. Keep it up!

I can hardly call myself a lurker but hope that your surgery goes well. Since I seem to have the all time high score in horrible eyes I would like to offer you a challenge. If your eyes were worse than mine before the surgery I will buy you the finest single malt on my upcoming trip to NYC. Deal? I'm nearsighted and my prescription for glasses is -10,5 and -9,5 for contacts. Beat that if you can! I'm blind as a bat....

I'm coming to NYC in a week or so but I'll send you a separate mail and hopefully we can hook up

De-lurking here from Memphis! I just wanted to say thanks for all the endless hours of entertainment. My hubby and I love reading your blog and have even been known to print out pages so we could read them later. Thanks for all the laughs!

Glad you're making your way back, SERIOUSLY hope the pain isn't too bad,(or bad at all). I am also horribly sorry about the concert, although I think you should post video of the dancing...I'd almost pay money to see that!

yes, I lurk. I lurk daily. why? I lurk because this is where I find inspiration as both a writer and a parent. I lurk because because there's no Dad in my daughter's life or husband in mine. I lurk because someday I hope there will be a man in our lives and I'd like him to be as dedicated to my family as you are to yours.

Thanks for letting us lurkers lurk, (and for not clobbering me over the head with a grammar book after reading this!)

Hello, Ms. Mama here from the Netherlands. I have commented a few times, so I guess I am a bit more than a lurker. I discovered your site when pregnant with my lil gal (now almost 8 months old) and while I started by sending your posts onto my husband, I soon became addicted. Keep it up, I can't get enough :-)

I wouldn think that Bill would want it anyway.The newly-renovated and -expanded USS Arizona Memorial/WW II Valor in the Pacific National Monument is, for many visitors, the highlight of their visit (be sure to make advance reservations).